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Teddy Bear Pools & Spas

As a 24-year veteran at Teddy Bear Pools & Spas, salesman John Shea has seen the store go from a one-man spa show to an eight-person water-testing lab with several trucks devoted just to spa service. Shea is convinced that Americans have money to spend, despite the “recession,” you just have to work harder to find them. His motto is, “Thou shalt not whine.”

How important do you think attitude is when it comes to your success? // Have a good attitude, have a positive attitude. If you think it stinks, it will. And if you think it stinks, keep your mouth quiet. Especially if you’re in any position of authority in the company. If you’re complaining about the economy and there’s some 19-year-old kid [working] there, he doesn’t care. He just wants his $8 an hour and all of a sudden he thinks the place is going under and business is down. Be positive.

Try something different, look at it a different way. How can I sell? Should I go to a show? Should I go out to the mall? Should I advertise? It’s hard to spend money when it’s a tough time, but [you should] advertise not when things are really good but when things are tougher. There are other things you can do to get your name out there. You have a product that people do want to buy. They say it’s [the market] bad, but it still seems the same to me. People are coming in, spending $8,000 and they’re not financing.

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In the end, when times are tough, try and keep a good attitude. Even outwardly if you’re not thinking it inside. Pretend you’re successful, pretend things are good and it almost seems like success follows.

Do you have any advice on weathering the storm? // Hang in there, keep positive and try something different, something that you haven’t been doing. Look at the people who are successful and see why they are successful. We’re more expensive than most of my competition, so I’m not winning because of price. People are spending more here. And while the economy is bad, I’m still selling pools and I’m selling spas. A lot of people aren’t financing. It’s their home, it’s [the spa] a health benefit, it makes you live longer, it makes you feel good.

You can be as successful as you want to be. Is it tougher? Sure it is. We’re selling spas for $9,000 and $10,000 when you can go to a discount house and get one for $3,000 or $3,500. But people have heard of us, we’ve been around a long time. We’re very big in the community as far as sponsoring sports teams and events. And who wouldn’t want a hot tub? From 5-years-old to 90-years-old, when someone sticks their hand in a spa, in a second they’re smiling.